Don't shake hands... touch elbows!

Sealing a business deal with a handshake could be a thing of the past after a leading scientist claims we should keep our hands to ourselves to prevent the the spread of infectious diseases like flu.

Nathan Wolfe, a virus expert at Stanford University in California, suggests we should use a "safe shake" like touching elbows or follow the example of the Japanese and take a bow to avoid the spread of infections. Dr Wolfe says diseases such as stomach bugs, flu and colds spread readily via skin contact.

In his new book The Viral Storm, Dr Wolfe says: "We should advocate a safe shake by touching elbows rather than hands.

"Certainly this would help to decrease the spread of some infectious agents in the same way that sneezing into an elbow, rather than in a hand, does."